A. We are changing our name from eircom to eir. This represents another important milestone in the evolution of our company. The marketplace has changed, technologies have changed, eircom as a company has changed and we know how we look and act needs to reflect that.

We need to modernise the brand to provide a more contemporary look and feel to the company. The eircom brand no longer reflects the company we are today, internally or externally - we believe eir better reflects who we now are – innovative, dynamic, bolder, forward thinking and more resilient. And that modern dynamic identity reflects our real ambition to become a modern progressive Irish organisation providing the high quality infrastructure the country needs and deserves.

In the minds of our consumers and businesses, some still perceive us as a phone line company rather than the company we are, with our fibre broadband, mobile, TV and range of business products and services we provide. We are the largest Irish telecommunications company in the country with more than two million fixed and mobile connections.

The company has a rich heritage and history that has served the country well - that is something that we are very proud of.

The marketplace has changed and we want to continue to evolve and develop, and cement our leadership in a very dynamic market.

A. eir Fibre 1000Mb speeds allows multiple users to simultaneously use consistent fast speeds for everyday business communication needs or downloading movies, music, TV and games in seconds at home. It’s uninterrupted gaming for those who have a need for superfast connectivity whether on a desktop, mobile or console. Talk to your family, friends and colleagues wherever they may be in the world through high definition video calling such as Skype or FaceTime without any time delay or frozen screens.

The average Irish household now has nine connected devices - an increase from four only three years ago. This number is expected to grow to 21 devices by 2020. eir is future-proofing its network to cope with this demand. The company is spending close to €2.5 billion on investment over 10 years to enhance Ireland’s network, fixed and mobile, which is the largest investment programme of any provider in the country. This means better quality broadband for consumers and businesses right across the country.

Q. Historically fibre networks have been expanded in large urban areas, leaving rural Ireland behind. Can you tell us more about your plans to close the digital divide in Ireland?

A. We are significantly expanding access to high speed fibre broadband in rural Ireland by extending our fibre footprint from 1.6 million homes and businesses to 1.9 million premises throughout the country. The additional 300,000 homes and businesses are spread across 1,070 communities in all 26 counties, and include 300 communities not currently served with high speed broadband. Speeds of up to 1000Mb will be available through the use of ‘end to end’ fibre to the home (FTTH) technology. This expanded footprint means eir will invest €400m in fibre over the next five years.

Today half of Ireland, 1.2 million homes and businesses, already has access to high speed broadband on eircom’s network and the company remains on track to reach 70% of the country by the end of 2016. By 2020, that will rise to 80% of the country, with 35% all homes and business accessing broadband speeds of up to 1Gb/s when construction completes.

A. Quad play is very much the future. Customers are demanding value, choice and quality and the best way to do that is to bundle a range of products. eir is currently the only operator that can bundle all four, home phone/broadband/mobile/TV, in one great value package. Customers’ homes are becoming more connected and as such, they are demanding the products and services to cope with that.

As the only quad play provider, we currently offer the best value bundles to cope with these demands. eir can offer the fastest broadband in Ireland, value landline options, TV with great content and savings on mobiles and our customers can bundle all or some together to suit their needs.
### Q. eir recently revealed that there has been consistent customer growth across key products year on year. What can customers expect to see from eir in the future?

A. eir will continue to expand its fibre footprint over the coming years bringing superfast broadband to more and more people. We will continue to provide great service and value for our customers with new and innovative content and products.

Our vision is to be at the centre of our customers’ digital world. We’re here to help them work, play and learn, to connect everyone and everything, from large cities to small villages. We’re opening up new digital experiences across TV, home phone, mobile and fibre broadband, and we’re the first company in Ireland to offer you all of these services together.

Everything we do is built around our customers. They are the essential part of our vision of a brighter, modern and more dynamic future together.